A Different Story
by XoStarcicleoX
Summary: Naruto's returned from his 2 1/2 years of training. After meeting some of his friends again, he sees, and instantly falls, for Hinata. The only problem is that Hinata doesn't have a crush on Naruto anymore.
1. New Images

**HIIIIIII! I'm XoStarcicleox!  
This story is set in Shippuden episode 33, but with A LOT of changes.  
Okay, well I have nothing else to say but please review!  
Disclaimer: I hope to own Naruto one day, but until that comes I don't.**

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Chapter 1: New Images

I smelled the fresh air of Konoha. Home at last! It was great to be back in the village! After that long mission with saving Gaara, I didn't really get much time to tour my favorite village! (I'm not saying I didn't like saving Gaara; it's just that I need to spend some time alone. Ever since I got back, I didn't get the time to look around.) Well now I'm back; and I'm ready to get started! I ran out of the hospital, sadly leaving my friends.

Let's see. I've already seen Sakura, who's as beautiful as ever! I've seen Team Guy, who are as crazy yet cool as ever! And I briefly saw Shikamaru, who, at that brief time, looked as lazy as ever. So that leaves the rest of Team 10, and . . . who was that other team? Let's see, I remember a small dog, bugs, and white eyes. Hey, that's Kiba, Shino, and Hinata of Team 8! How can I forget them?

Eager to see my grown friends, I raced through the village, my eyes set on anyone I remember. I thought I smelled ramen! As I skipped over a rooftop, I came upon a path with wooden fences. I found myself going inside and walking its dirt road. It was peaceful here-very calm. Very soothing. This place allowed my mind to rest and think about anything I wanted to think of. Unfortunately, my mind wanted to think about Sasuke, both the good and bad times, but mostly the bad.

I remembered that fight we had at the waterfall. I looked down when I remembered our trasformation-me being the one-tailed, and Sasuke being in his second-state or whatever.

My mind was so preoccupied with these thoughts, that I missed the tree I was passing, and that tree was talking to me! "Long time no see . . . Naruto."

I whirled around to look for the sound. There, covered by the shadows of the leaves, stood a man. His hood and jacket was covering him, his hands in his pocket. He looked creepy! "Uh, who are you?" I suspiciously asked. And when I did, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

"Just because it's been a while, doesn't mean you can forget your comrades, Naruto."

Wait. That bored tone. That _too_familiar annoying voice. Could it be? "Shino?" I cried, striding over to the Aburame. "I could barely recognize you! You-you-"

"You forgot me," he said plainly.

"W-well, you're all bundled up in clothes! How is _anybody_supposed to recognize you?" Sheesh, the nerve of this guy!

"Just because you've been gone for a while, doesn't mean you can forget your comrades' faces. Because if you do, that comrade will feel hurt."

I am now getting _really _annoyed with this guy. But just when I was going to make an awesome comeback, something big and heavy dropped from the sky. I staggered back, coughing from the smoke it cause up. As it started to clear, though, I could see another boy with brown hair sitting on top of a big, white creature. He didn't see me right away, but instead looked behind him towards Shino.

"Hey Shino, you're early," he said with a laugh. He then caught sight of me and turned to look at me. "Huh? Is it you?" He smiled as he jumped off the creature's back and walked over to me. Then, he started to sniff me.

"Yep, that's your smell! Naruto!" he cried. It was Kiba Inuzuka, the guy louder than me. I smiled at him, happy to have a friend that could be as troublesome as me. Behind him, the creature barked a greeting.

"Kiba," I started to say, looking at it. "Is that . . .?"

"Hm?" Kiba looked to where I was pointing. He gave a little chuckle. "What? Don't know my dog? That's Akamaru!"

My jaw dropped. "Ehhh? Th-that's Akamaru? He-he-"

"Naruto, you've grown!" Kiba said, comparing his height to mine.

I shook my head, though. "I'm not the one who grew! He grew!" I continued to stare and point at the now enlarged version of the small dog I remembered 2 years ago.

"Hm? Really? I'm always with him so I never notice."

"What are you talking about? Before, he used to sit on your head!" The flashback of Kiba, and Akamaru sitting just on top of his owner's cranium, came to my mind. "Don't you agree, Shino?" I turned to face my previous encounter.

He was partly hidden in the shadows again. "You recognized Kiba right away, Naruto."

A wave of annoyance washed over me again as I thought, _He's sulking._

Suddenly, I heard a soft gasp. "N-Naruto?" a voice behind me said.

I looked to the direction from where the voice came from. There, standing in a corner of the fence, was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. She had long midnight black hair that hung loosely on her back. Her delicate hands were up over her mouth, and just above that were clear, white eyes, with a shade of lavender. That color matched perfectly well with her lavender jacket, which I could see was hiding something.

"I-is that really you?" she asked. I didn't reply, because I was too busy staring at her. There was something familiar about her, but never in my life have I met someone as gorgeous as her (except Sakura and Haku.)

Suddenly, she smiled and ran over to me. Every step she took made my heart pound even faster. That adorable grin she had on didn't help it slow down, either.

She stopped short just in front of me. She was a little shorter than me, so I had to look down. Up close, she was even prettier! How can one hold that much beauty?

"Welcome back!" she cried. Her voice was too cute. And familiar, but I was too dazed to remember.

From the corner of my ears, I heard Kiba. "Hey, it's Hinata!"

I didn't want to look away, but I reluctantly forced myself to search for the said girl. I looked past the woman standing in front of me to find Hinata. But the path was empty. Could she be hiding behind the fence? I searched some more for a pale jacket and short hair. I remembered only too well her always sick red face.

"Um, Naruto? What are you looking at?" the woman in front of me asked. Immediately, I turned my attention back to her. Her eyes were filled with confusion.

And guess what my genius answer was? "Uuuhhhhh . . . "

A finger snapped in front of me, breaking my daydream. I looked around and saw Kiba standing next to me. "You okay, buddy?" he asked. "You're just standing there staring at Hinata."

"I . . . am?" I asked, still a little dazed. I turned back to the empy path. "But I don't see her."

"Dummy, she's right in front of you?"

"Where?"

Just then, Kiba took his hands and put it on my head. He made me look down to the woman I've been drooling over. I was still confused. Why did Kiba direct my attention to her? "Okay, so?"

"Naruto, don't you recognize me?" the girl asked, sounding sad. "It's me, Hinata Hyuga."

It felt like a giant pan just landed on my head. My head ringing, I frowned at the woman who said those words. I felt my jaw slowly dropping lower and lower, and my eyes growing wider and wider as I saw the resemblance.

It all made sense now. Sort of.

I jumped away from the girl, my finger pointing stiffly at her. "HINATA HYUGA? AS IN _THE _HINATA HYUGA?" While I was screaming that, an image of the young Hinata popped in my head. That colorless, thick jacket and those small, fragile fingers always tapping and playing with each other were the first things I remembered. That plain hair of hers was always short, and it never did sway like the other girls.

"Yeah, the one and only," Kiba said, confused at why I was so surprised.

How can he not understand? If this was really Hinata, then A LOT has changed about her! Especially her appearance! My eyes looked all around the new figure of Hinata. She doesn't seem so shy, either.

"Where have I been for the past 2 and a half years?" I muttered to myself. Hinata walked a little closer to me, her face in a worried expression.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

After that, I did the thing I thought I could never do. This is something only Hinata would have done!

I fainted.

As darkness took over me, I could hear Shino's voice just say, "At least he didn't recognize Hinata immediately either."

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**So what do you think?  
Please stick around, because it will (hopefully) be better in the future.  
Should I change anything?  
Was Naruto OOC? Was Hinata OOC?  
Actually, Hinata is not supposed to be that shy anymore.**

**I didn't want to talk about the whole Akatsuki business.  
I skipped all that. Sorry if that disappointed anybody. =(  
And I don't know if Sai will show up...**


	2. Advice from Ino

**Sorry for the mistakes in the last chapter.  
I was too excited to post it to check the whole story over.  
Anyway, I hope you're okay with a first-person view.  
Disclaimer: I SO don't own Naruto.**

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Chapter 2: Advice from Ino

I could feel my eyes fluttering open. I saw a somewhat bright light, but my vision was still blurry.

I sat up on my bed. On my bed?

I looked around to see my room. But I don't ever remember going here. I racked my brain to try and remember what happened.

I had just finished my recent mission of saving Gaara. I came back in the village and I remember looking for friends. That's right! Team 8! I met up with them in an alley! Shino is even more mysterious; Akamaru's grown ten times his size from when I last saw him; and Hinata . . .

Hinata was . . . not the way I remembered. She's grown. Grown _hot,_ actually. I groaned as I pushed those thoughts out of my head. I shouldn't be thinking of a teammate like that. It's disrespectful.

I looked to my bedside table to see what time it was, but only to find a note carefully placed next to my clock. I took it and examined the letter. It was written by someone with perfect penmanship; the letters were long, thin, and curved. It would only belong to a woman's hand, because no self-respecting boy would ever dot their "i"s with a circle.

_Naruto,  
You fell unconscious for some reason, so we took you to your house.  
Sorry we couldn't stay with you but we had a mission.  
By the way, welcome back!  
Sincerely,  
Team Kurenai_

* * *

Forcing myself not to think about them, I traveled around Konoha once more. If I thought about that team, I would start to miss them. After all, I just caught up with them. It's strange, though, because I've never missed them before when they were away on a mission.

During my travel, I saw Shikamaru again, and the rest of his team. We were just having a casual conversation when Choji came.

"Hey Shikamaru, I brought you your lunch," he said.

"Choji!" I cried. I was glad to see my other friend again. We've been through a lot together. "You've changed a lot! You're even fa-"

Shikamaru covered my mouth with his hand. "Don't say the f-a-t word around him, remember?" he whispered into my ear. Oh yeah, I forgot. When he let go, I gave a nervous laugh.

"What I mean was, you're even _taller_ than before!" We smiled at each other; Choji was also glad to see me again.

**(A/N: Sorry, but I'm going to skip the whole Sai thing too.)**

Just then, a voice cried over us. "Choji, I've been looking all over for you!" At the sound of his name, Choji turned. "Asuma-sensei is angry that you haven't shown up yet!"

"Eh, sorry. But I met up with someone," he apologized. I could see the figure behind him. It was a slender girl with long hair. I could tell she was beautiful, but I wasn't interested in her types. It was Ino Yamanaka. As I was watching her coming towards us group of men, she saw me, too. Her face lit up and waved wildly with one hand.

"Naruto! It's been a while!" she shouted as she ran over to me. "You're looking tall!" Her face being so close to mine reminded me of Hinata's new face. Ah! I'm thinking of her again! Why can't I get her out of my head? I smiled at Ino and replied a hello to her nervously to her to see if that would do the trick. Of course, it didn't.

"Girls are so troublesome," mumbled Shikamaru. That somehow went to my brain. _Ino is a girl. Hinata is a girl. Maybe she can help me with my new feelings._

"Um, Ino," I started. The kunoichi turned to me. "I was wondering if you could help me with a problem."

"Sure!" she returned happily. I blushed and became nervous even more.

"Um, _privately_?" I darted my eyes toward Shikamaru and Choji. Being a girl, she understood those signs easily and nodded.

"Shikamaru, Choji, Asuma-sensei is looking for you."

"He's looking for me, too?" asked Shikamaru. I could see Ino give him a look that said "Just leave!" He was a little frightened, but he nodded his head lazily and gestured to Choji to follow him.

After they were gone, Ino turned to me again. "So, what do you need help with?" She was a little too cheery to me, but I felt a LITTLE more relaxed without two guys listening in on this. LITTLE, because I was still nervous about this.

"It's about . . . Hinata," I said hesitantly. For some reason, she giggled. Did she know something I didn't?

"What about Hinata?" she asked, smiling slyly.

Ignoring the mischievousness I knew was hidden underneath that grin, I continued. "Have you seen her recently?"

"Why, are you looking for her? Because I think she's on a mission."

"No, I'm talking about her appearance."

"Oh, the hair. Yeah, a lot of people keep asking why she grew her hair. Well, I don't know if that's what you're asking." Ino gave a little shrug.

"No, no. Well, yes, but not just the hair. I mean, like, her jacket and shoes and headband-"

"Naruto," she interrupted me. "I know that when guys say they want to know why a particular girl changed 'clothes', they usually mean their looks. What about Hinata's looks?"

"It's changed!" I suddenly blurted. I blushed and looked away for a while. However, Ino just cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, duh! Everybody's looks change! It's part of puberty!" she cried.

"You're right, you're right," I said after calming down. "What I meant is that . . . there's something about her face that's changed that I just can't put-"

"She's grown more beautiful, hasn't she?" she interrupted again, but with another small grin.

I blushed more fiercly this time, buy I admitted she has grown a little prettier than when we last met. "And I don't know why I keep thinking about her!" I concluded.

Ino gave a short laugh. "Naruto, let me give you some advice. Don't judge a girl by her cover. You gotta know her personally before you can continue with her." Confused, I asked her what this had anything to do with why I kept thinking about Hinata. "Isn't it obvious! You keep thinking about her because you've fallen in love with her!"

* * *

Stunned by Ino's words, I considered the possibility. When we were younger, I never thought of Hinata as more than a friend. We were very close friends, but I never pursued anything greater (I did that with Sakura).

**(A/N: Naruto's using too much big words in this story. "Considered." "Pursued." I'm sorry, but I was just reading a novel that had all these words and I put them in here. Next time I'll read a _Naruto_ before I start the chapter.)**

I found myself thinking about them for a long time-long enough for Team Kurenai to finish their mission and return back to Konoha Village.

I was eating lunch at Ichiraku's when I heard loud barking, followed by a voice. "Yahoo! That was such a successful mission! I can't wait to tell Lady Tsunade!"

"Slow down, Kiba! Wait for us to catch up!" That voice belonged to a girl who's been occupying my mind for some days now.

She was back.

I could feel them rushing past the ramen shop. Of course they couldn't see me, but I was kind of hoping they would at least say hi.

My heart beating, I quickly finished my ramen, paid Teuchi, and exited the shop. I had something in mind.

If I needed to talk about Hinata, I needed to see someone.

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**Sorry for the short chapter.  
It's NOT Hinata who he's going to see (I think that's obvious).  
Please review!**


	3. Hyuga Compound

**This was such a short chapter!  
I was hoping for it to be longer, but I ran out of time.  
As in I've hit my deadline.  
So guess what that means?  
The end was kind of rushed. T_T  
Disclaimer: I might never own Naruto. Might.**

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Chapter 3: Hyuga Compound

I paced in front of the sliding doors. I kept telling myself over and over,_ I can do this; I can do this. _I was biting my lip; my hands were sweating with nervousness. At last, I summoned up some courage and knocked.

I waited patiently, almost hoping no one would answer the door. After two minutes, I decided no one was home and was about to leave. But I heard footsteps. They stopped in front of the door, put their hands to it, and opened it. I saw a young girl in front of me--maybe 10 or 11. She had the same Hyuga eyes as Hinata, and the same Hyuga manner as Neji. Her hair was long and black--one strand hung loose in the middle of her face. If she tied her hair near the bottom, I'm sure she'd look almost exactly like Neji! What is it with these Hyugas? They all have long, dark hair and perfect posture!

"Hello?" the girl asked suspiciously. I saw her eyes examining me; I think she knew, or at least recognized, me. One thing's for sure, though: I don't know who she is.

"Hi!" I said cheerfully. "Is, uh, Neji here?"

"What's your name?" the girl asked again. For a little girl, she had some courage!

"Naruto Uzumaki," I replied, smiling.

Her face changed from suspicion to recognition. "Naruto! You're back in the village? Welcome back!" she cried, her face now grinning. I'm going to need to get used to these "Welcome back"'s.

"Yeah, I'm back! How do you know me?" I wondered.

"I'm Hanabi Hyuga; I watched you fight Neji during the Chunin finals," she replied happily.

"Hanabi Hyuga? Hinata's little sister?"

"Yeah!"

Now I know why I don't know this girl. I've only heard her name, but I never saw her. I cleared my throat. "Well it's nice to finally meet you. So anyway, is Neji home?"

"Yes, follow me." I was scared at first to enter the compound, but Hanabi just invited me in, so I guess it's okay. I quickly took off my shoes and followed the young girl. As I got nearer to the end of the hallway from the door to an open space, I could hear clashes of metal, and lungs breathing hard.

Someone must be training with someone. Quietly, I hoped it wasn't Hinata. I don't want to see her at this moment; I might faint again.

When I entered their private training ground, Hiashi and Neji were having a really hot battle. Seriously! They're both equal in power! When Hiashi threw a kunai, Neji quickly dodged. When Neji aimed for a chakra point, Hiashi would either move or bat him away. I watched the two with some admiration. However, they suddenly stopped. Looks like Hiashi saw me.

"Naruto, you're back," he said calmly, though there was a bit of surprise there. He looked at Neji. "You didn't tell me about this."

"I'm sorry. I guess I was too excited to start our lesson," Neji replied. Excited? About a lesson?

"So why are you here?" Hiashi called at me. We were fairly far from each other.

"I, um, wanted to talk about something with you or Neji," I answered nervously.

Hiashi paused to look at me for a minute. "No."

"Wh-what?" I was confused. What did he mean I can't talk to him?

"You can't date her."

Again, I felt that giant pan strike my head. When I recovered shortly after, Neji and Hanabi were looking at me with gaping mouths. Well, Hanabi was looking at me with a gaping mouth; Neji had a face of disgust.

"You came here to ask my big sister out on a date?!" Hanabi cried, at the same time Neji asked, "You were going to ask Hinata for a date?!"

"No, no!!" I waved my hands in front of me. "That's not what I came here for!"

"Oh?" Hiashi said. "Then you must have come here because you have a question for Hinata."

This time I was scratching the back of my head. "Acually, it's a question _about _Hinata."

"Well she's not here."

"I-I know." What did he take me for--an idiot? I know she's not here!

"So what are you still doing here?"

I stopped. What? "If you want information about my daughter then it's best to ask her herself, right?"

I blushed. "I don't want to ask her . . . " I mumbled.

"Speak up, boy!"

"I said I don't want to ask her my personal questions!" I shouted like a soldier.

Hiashi let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Hanabi, answer his questions."

"Yes, Father." Hanabi bowed and then took my hand. "C'mon Naruto." Behind me, I could hear them start their fight again.

I once again followed the somewhat little girl to a room. It was then that I realized I was going to talk to _Hanabi_. Even though they're sisters, I heard they weren't that close. What could she know about her big sister?

"So what did you want to talk about?" she asked when we entered the room. It was a simple room: no furniture except two pillows on the floor and a table in between them.

"Hinata," I muttered.

"Duh! I mean what about her?" We sat on the two pillows. It was kind of awkward to talk about my feelings with a little girl. Okay, a little but tough-looking girl.

"My first question is her jacket . . . "

"Got it from Mother. Next."

Surprised by her short answer, I continued. "Her headband is--"

"Lost the first one in a mission, got a new one. Next."

"Oookay. Her hair has gro--"

"No time to cut it. Next."

"Could you please stop interrupting me?" I said in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry. It's just that everybody always asks these same questions," Hanabi said. I thought I heard a bit of boredom there.

"What . . . what do you mean?" I asked carefully.

She looked at me with a bored face. "Once or twice a week a guy comes here to ask Hinata out."

And there's that giant pan again. Except this time, the pan was filled with boulders. And those boulders weighed about two tons each.

"WHA--?!! REALLY??!!" I cried.

"You're not the only one to see her in a new way!" I saw a smirk on her little face. "Kiba was the first to ask her."

Make that one more pan, and add another thousand or so of those same boulders. If I check myself in the mirror and I see a camel hump on my head, I won't be surprised.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS??!! KIBA ASKED HER OUT??!!!!!"

Suddenly, she burst out laughing. I turned red in the face (well, redder than my already red face) as I realized what just happened.

"You--hahahaha--fell for it!" She gasped for breath. "You should--hahaha--have seen your--haha--face!" She was rolling on the floor, holding her stomach so it wouldn't burst from the inside.

I felt _my_ brain was about to burst on the inside.

After a few minutes, she stopped laughing. She cleared her throat. "Okay. Sorry about that. Nobody comes here to ask her for a date. I interrupted you because I know what you're really thinking, so I'm just moving you along."

"Well it's not helping," I muttered. I got tricked easily by a little girl! These Hyuga are tough!

"Now let's start the real thing. First question?"

I cleared my now dry throat. "Is--"

I was interrupted again, but it wasn't Hanabi this time. It was a dreadful voice. **(A/N: Naruto's avoiding her.)**

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back, Lady Hinata."

* * *

**The answers I put for the questions aren't really true.  
I don't know where she got everything.  
Though, _I_ believe she got the jacket from her mom.  
Has anyone seen her mom?!!  
I WANNA SEE HER!! I WANNA SEE HER!! I WANNA SEE HER!!  
Sorry . . .  
I'm obsessed with Hyugas . . .  
Please review!**


	4. Advice from Shikamaru

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm going to be gone this week and the next.  
So I updated earlier, and there won't be a chapter next week.  
But don't worry, when I return, I will hopefully have two chapters ready to update for you!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto . . .**

* * *

Chapter 4: Advice from Shikamaru

"Hanabi, hide me!" I squealed as I pitifully scrambled to under the small table.

"What for?" she said. She got up and walked over to the sliding door. "It's only my sister. She's home." With that, she opened it and went outside to greet Hinata.

I squealed some more and scrambled out of the table. Oh, why wasn't there an invisibility jutsu or something? I looked all around the room to see if there was anything I could use to hide in. But it was hard! The room was so plain--no closets, attic doors, hidden ways. Nothing!

"Hey, Hinata. Someone's here to see you." Agh! That was Hanabi's voice! And she's coming over to this room! That little Hyuga twerp! I can already see her smug little smile on her smug little face!

_Gotta hide, gotta hide! _I ran around the room desperately searching the walls for anything. Suddenly, I had an idea. I quickly performed it.

-----

"He's not here?" Hanabi looked all over the room, but couldn't find her guest that was just here a moment ago. He couldn't have escaped; anybody would have seen him and then caught.

"Hanabi, what are you looking for?" asked Hinata. She had a worried look on her face as she watched her little sister concentrate on a wall.

"Not what," Hanabi replied distractedly. "Who."

"Oh, then who?"

"Na--"

"Lady Hanabi, your father wishes to see you. Erm, why, may I ask, are you sprawled on the floor?" Neji entered the room to see his youngest cousin examining the ground intently.

Hanabi looked up. "Uh, no, you may not ask. Now, what does Father need?"

"He, um, wants to talk to you. And Lady Hinata." Neji shot a glance at the said kunoichi.

"Okay. Let's go, Hanabi." Hinata beckoned her young sister over, who reluctantly left the room. They followed Neji to a different room.

None of them seemed to have noticed the extra pillow lying on top of the spot where Hanabi sat.

* * *

After they had left the room, I transformed back. It was scary seeing Hanabi search the place. She was determined to find me!

I saw Hinata again! She looked taller from my perspective. But she still looked incredibly beautiful! I thought I was sweating, and I was sure Hanabi would have seen the wet pillow if she examined some more.

I quietly opened the sliding door, looked around, and then quietly exited. I tiptoed past all the rooms that I passed, because any one of those can contain those three long-dark-haired ninjas. I shuddered at the thought of what Hiashi would do to me if he found out I was tiptoeing around his house. Make that four, since even the head Hyuga has long dark hair.

I finally reached the door. I put on my shoes and went out, letting out a breath of relief as I did so.

I don't know why I hid. Why should I hide? I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I shouldn't be afraid of anything! As I told myself that, an image of the new Hinata popped in my head and my knees went wobbly. Agh! Is this what "love" feels like? I was always in love with Sakura, but I never felt this weak. I blush and turn soft, but I've never fainted or hid from her. What's different about Hinata?

I shook my head. I gotta eat some ramen; maybe that will help me clear my mind.

-----

Guess who was at Ichiraku's?

"Hey, Shikamaru," I said when I entered the shop. He lazily looked up at me and replied with his lazy greeting. He doesn't have his ramen yet.

Not knowing why he was here, I ordered my favorite ramen and waited.

I did ask him eventually, though.

"So, why are you here?"

"Tmry," he muttered.

"What?"

"Temry," he said again, but more clear.

"C'mon, Shikamaru!"

"Temari!" he finally said.

Confused, I asked him another question. "What about Temari?"

"Asked me to come here," he replied somewhat gloomily. "Girls are troublesome . . . " You got that right.

But I cleared my throat. "Shikamaru, your dad knows some things about girls, right?"

"Depends. Why?"

"I . . . have some girl troubles."

"Just ask her out again, Naruto. If she refuses--again--then give up on her. Sakura might never see you as more than a friend."

I blushed at what he said. Don't know why, though. "Um, it's not about Sakura."

Shikamaru lazily cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Who is it then?"

"Uh . . . Hnta."

"What?"

"Hinta."

"C'mon, Naruto!" He had a small smile on him as he said this.

"Hinata!"

"Hinata? Really?" He chuckled. "I see you're also shy about real love." During this time, Shkamaru's ramen came.

"What do you mean _also_?" I asked suspiciously.

"Uh, nothing. Anyway, what's your trouble with Hinata?"

"Well, um, when I saw her, she kind of, um, changed." Curse the stuttering!

"'Changed,' huh? So what's your problem?" he asked again.

"Whenever I see her, or know she's close by, I always run away," I answered guiltily.

"So you're shy around her?"

"Yeah . . . " Shikamaru nodded.

"Well what you need is some info on Hinata."

"Why?"

"So you at least know something about her when you ask her for a date."

"What?!" At this time, _my _ramen came.

"Luckily for you, I do know something about her. I looked at all the ninja's info while I was organizing the Chunin Exams," he said, ignoring my surprise.

"B-b-but! What do you mean by 'date?'" I asked.

"Hinata is a shy and sweet girl, so you'll have to go slow with her," he continued, completely ignoring me now. "Don't shout at her, don't get angry at her, don't force her to do something you know she can't. You have to be gentle with this one. On the good side, she's like a loving mother; she'll care for you and love you no matter what happens. She'll rarely get angry at you, unless you really did something wrong."

"Where are you getting this information? That doesn't sound like something on a ninja card!" I shouted at him. On a ninja card, it wouldn't say "Good girlfriend; like a mother."

Shikamaru looked lazily at me, and then he shrugged his shoulders. "I've dated her before."

"WHAT?!?!" Shikamaru? With Hinata??! AAAGH!

"Hm, so you're that in love, huh?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'VE DATED HER BEFORE??!!" I screamed.

"I was just testing you, Naruto. It was to see how much you were into her. And you're into her a lot." He smiled again. "A lot seems like such a small word."

Tricked again! Next time, when someone says they've dated Hinata, or Hinata's dated before, I'm not falling for it. "So how _do _you know about Hinata?"

The genius shrugged his shoulders again. "She's been to the Academy before, you know as a 'baby sitter' you can say. She helps me with the kids. She's really nice--like a real mother. She's the kids' favorite."

I nodded my head slowly. So Hinata is like a mother, eh? I mused over the picture of Hinata in an apron making breakfast. That picture turned into a scene: she was making eggs and calling to her kids. The kids came down. Strangely, a boy with Hinata's dark blue hair ran into the kitchen with a lot of energy. An older girl with long blond hair and Hyuga eyes walked slowly into the room. Behind her was a strong man who looked a lot like the Fourth Hokage . . . with whiskers.

* * *

**Not much of an ending, but whatever.  
I rushed through this chapter, so I hope it's still good!  
Sorry there's not update next week.  
But there will be two the week after!  
Please review!**


	5. Switched Places

**I'm back!  
And with two updates this day!  
Whoop-de-doo!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I'm using him.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Switced Places

I slurped my ramen while I thought about Shikamaru's advice. I needed to know something about her, and to do that I needed to--. I gulped, but Shikamaru didn't notice; he just thought I was still eating my ramen.

"Ugh, where is she?" he mumbled to himself as he was looking at the clock located in the ramen shop. "My ramen's getting cold. If she doesn't come here in ten minutes I'm eating without her."

I thought about all the times I've been with Hinata. That was two-and-a-half years ago. Let's see . . . she was wearing a pale jacket; she had really short hair; and her personality was beyond my comprehension. She always had a fever whenever I was around her, what with her face getting red and hot and she starts blushing like crazy. Every time I look at her she looks away, but I knew she was looking at me. Why did she do that?

I remembered she helped me a lot. I started noticing her in the Chunin exams. During the first test, it was a written one and she sat next to me. She offered to let me copy off her test, but I noblyrefused. I didn't want her to get in trouble if we were caught. Why did I do that? It's not something I always do. Every time I got near Hinata I felt like I should be nicer and softer--even if she was weird and sometimes I can't hear a word she's saying.

I started to really notice her during the Preliminaries. She was fighting her cousin, Neji. When he shouted insults at her I couldn't take it anymore. I shouted at Hinata to shut him up. After that she went berserk-o. She became really strong and awesome; I've never seen her that strong before! Here is a girl who's been a wallflower ever since I've known her and in just one day my thoughts about her changed completely! That's why when I saw her coughing up blood after the fight I had to get to her. I had to see if she was okay. And then the paramedics said she had no pulse and they had ten or fifteen minutes at best! That was torture! Those words echoed in my mind long after until Lee's battle. I promised myself to defeat Neji for Hinata.

Soon the final matches came and I had my chance of fulfilling my promise. All through that fight with Neji I thought about Hinata and Lee and how they both had the strength to keep standing, even though they were beaten up pretty bad. When I finally defeated him, I was glad that I beat someone who was twenty times smarter than me. I looked at the stands and found myself looking for Hinata. For some reason, I couldn't find her.

Wait! Something happened before that big fight . . . Oh, my talk with Hinata! That morning I was feeling so down and discouraged. I saw how Neji could fight. Luckily I met up with his cousin in the training ground. What a conversation! I came there all depressed and came out full of energy! I forgot what we talked about but there's one thing I'll never forget: she said that I was a strong loser. Even when I get down I just jump right back up. She admired me for that. That saying was what gave me fuel.

Now I'm starting to admire _her._ I'm starting to get shy around _her._ I'm starting to blush around _her._ We switched places, and it's all because I fell in love . . . with . . . her . . .

As realization struck me, I thought I was going to choke on my ramen, but something was wrong.

"Naruto, what are you doing? You've been slurping on your chopsticks but your bowl is empty," Shikamaru said to me.

I looked down; he was right. I guess I've been thinking for too long. I quickly glanced over at his bowl: three-quarters full. So it's past ten minutes; either I was eating too fast or my thoughts were too long.

I shook my head. I needed to get back to that other thought. Good think Shikamaru is with me right now.

"Shikamaru," I said slowly. He looked up from his meal. "Did Hinata, um, have a crush, um, on me?"

Shikamaru let out a small smile. "So you finally figured it out?"

Take one of those two-ton boulders from the giant pan and throw it at me.

"'Finally figured it out'? What do you mean by that?!" I shouted at him. Then I narrowed my eyes again. "Is this another trick?" I've had enough of those.

Shikamaru shook his head. "She's been crushing on you since the beginning of time!"

"WHAT? Bu-but--b-but-but-but--"

"Almost everybody except you knew that, you oblivious idiot."

I was too shocked to register his insult. "But she never told me!" I finished my other sentence.

"Have you noticed her character, Naruto?" he said. "She's not the type to confess her love for you."

Love?! Was that true or is he exaggerating?

I wouldn't know, because at that time Temari came in.

"Finally!" I heard Shikamaru say under his breath. "Hey." That one he said loudly.

"Hey," Temari answered back. "Hi, Naruto."

I waved a hand.

"You staying here long?" I knew what that meant. It meant Temari wanted me to leave.

"No, I just finished."

I got up and left the ramen shop.

* * *

Just my luck--I ran into Kiba and Akamaru. But I guess it can be a little lucky, since I still needed to know about Hinata's crush on me.

"Watch where you're going, Naruto," he said, but in a friendly way.

"Sorry. Hey, can I talk to you? About Hinata?"

"I'm busy, but ask me anyway."

"Did she have a crush on me?" I wasn't afraid to ask anymore, but I was still nervous about the answer.

Kiba laughed. He laughed loudly and long. "Where did you hear that?" he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Aha! So Shikamaru was lying to me! That guy . . . !

"Yeah she did, so?" I perked up my ears. What did he say?

"Um, what?" I asked dumbly.

"Yeah, she had a crush on you."

I'm sure my head will be sore in the morning, what with all these pans and boulders slamming my poor noggin.

"But now she doesn't."

Whoah! Rewind!

"Huh? What do you mean 'now she doesn't'?" I asked.

"Now she doesn't have a crush on you. After you left she worked hard to be as strong as you, but gradually her crush on you was decreasing. When I asked her one day if she still liked you she said, 'No, but I still admire him.' At first I didn't believe it because sometimes if someone says your name she smiles, unless they weren't talking good things about you. Then she would frown and correct them. But then I really believed it when you came back and she smiled at you and all. What's better proof she didn't faint! _You_ did . . ."

"Thanks for the information, Kiba. Bye!" I hurried away. He had started to eye me suspiciously. Of all people, _he_would be the last person I wanted to tell him about my new feelings. If he found out now I'm sure he'll spread it around. Worse, he'll tell Hinata!

* * *

To get my mind off these crazy love thoughts, I decided to visit Kakashi. I went to the flower store to pick out a flower for him. Of course it had to be from the Yamanaka's.

"More than a week and he's still in the hospital?" Ino shook her head. When I came in the store, I hoped she wouldn't start talking about our earlier talk. To my relief, she seemed to have forgotten it. Instead, she was gossiping to me about this new guy who came over to Konoha.

"I even heard he was cute! What was his name? Sid? Sam?" Talk about chatterbox!

When I chose my flower and bought it, just before I left she called to me.

"Naruto! Did you talk to Hinata?"

I pretended not to hear her and left quickly.

* * *

**Writing two chapters took longer than I thought.  
The next update will probably take me one hour to a day.  
Sorry, I didn't prepare it.  
Please review!**


	6. Too Late for a Date

**It's now chapter 6.  
Let's do a recap:  
Naruto came back from his mission with Gaara.  
Naruto sees and falls for Hinata.  
Naruto is thinking if he should date her or not.  
End recap.  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Too Late for a Date

Kakashi-sensei almost gave me advice.

I told him about my problem and he was about to start what he called "the talk."

Isn't that for fathers and sons?

Anyway, I stopped him. I didn't want any more advice. I already got one from Ino and Shikamaru; one told me I fell in love with Hinata, and the other told me I should date her.

Not really helpful advice.

-----

I came out of the hospital still feeling confused. My mind still hasn't made up yet. Should I ask her or not? Actually I'm kind of afraid. But I wasn't this afraid when I ask Sakura! She's a lot easier to ask!

I think it's because I know she would turn me down. I think Hinata will turn me down, too, since her crush one me is gone. Why didn't take that to my advantage when we were younger?!

Speaking of the devil (or in this case, the angel), Hinata bumped into me. At first I was going to shout at the person, but when I looked down it was _her_. Her head was bent down so I couldn't see her face, but when I looked down at what she was looking down at (the ground) I saw tiny wet spots. Was it raining?

"S-sorry," I heard the girl mumble. And then Hinata was off again, walking briskly down the path off to nowhere. When I heard her apologize, my heart sank. The voice was low and quavering, the type of tone used when a person has been crying.

-----

Curious as I am, but also concerned, I followed Hinata--hiding behind trash cans or transforming myself into a bush whenever she looked back. I followed her all the way to the forest where she weaved through the trees as if it were her own house. To me it was like a maze; I bumped into trunks, almost stepped into bushes, and even lost my target three times. At last, we came to a clearing. Near the edge of the clearing, the edge we were on, there was a long log where Hinata sat down.

And she started sobbing.

As I sat on a bough I watched her. It was there that I really started thinking about my new found feelings for her. Why did I _really _fall in love with her? Was it just because of her looks? It seemed more than that. I felt a little guilty just noticing her now, when she's changed so much. I remembered when I first saw her it was instant--love at first sight. That happened with Sakura, too. But that time seemed different. That time I felt like when I saw her, I released something that was locked or hidden somewhere in me. It felt like something had been building up inside me, and then it was finally completed when I saw her.

My thoughts were interrupted when Hinata talked. "What am I going to do? I don't want this." It was a soft whisper, but I still heard it completely. Her voice was still quavering and her throat was probably sore from the hiccups from her sobbing.

I wanted to come down and hug her.

Which I sort of did.

I quietly lowered myself to the ground so not to scare her. I can see her shoulders shake a little; I guess she's trying really hard not to appear like she's bawling right now. Poor Hinata.

Since I followed her I've been wondering what she was crying about. I've never seen her cry like this before; I've seen her scared to death and close to crying, but I've never seen her all shaken up. Did Neji do something again? Did her father do something? Suddenly, I remembered back at the Hyuga Compound that she and Hanabi needed to see Hiashi. Was that why she's like this right now?

As I approached her, I cleared my throat nervously. Her shoulders tensed and she suddenly sat up straighter. Her head turned to look back at her intruder. When she saw me from the corner of her eye, they widened. She quickly turned away again and I could tell from the movements of her hands that she was desperately trying to wipe away her tears.

I cleared my throat again but when I started to speak it still sounded rusty. "Hey, Hinata. It's Naruto. Are you okay?" I saw her nod a small nod. Her back was still towards me. "Are you sure? I kind of . . . " I paused for a few seconds. In those few seconds I decided that there was no point lying to her. "I kind of followed you here when you bumped into me."

That was when she finally turned to me, but only for a while. She had a sad smile on her. "Oh, that was you? I'm sorry." Then she turned back around.

"No, it's okay," I said as I walked closer to her. I don't know if I should really do that, but I wanted to comfort her right now. "What's wrong?" I sat next to her on the log. I was beyond nervous sitting next to the person I've been avoiding, but that didn't matter right now.

Hinata's head was still bowed; then she lifted it to look at the now pink-orange tinged sunset sky. She was thinking.

I stared at her face. Her beauty glowed on the setting sun's rays. "Amazing," I breathed low enough for her not to hear.

She dropped it again, staring at her lap. "I think it's better for you not to know. I don't want you to get mixed up in my problems. That would be unfair for you."

"No it's not!" I denied again. "Er, I mean, I want to help you."

Hinata just shook her head. "It's not that important. In fact, I don't even think it's worth crying over. Marriage isn't something to be sad about."

I think I should be in a world record book under the title "Guy Hit with the Most Pans in One Day!"

Even with my great shock, I don't know how I managed to keep my voice calm. "M-marriage?" I repeated.

Hinata's eyes widened. "I just told you didn't I?" For the first time since she came back from her mission, she looked at me. I melted under those pearls jewels' gaze.

"Well now I guess I can't hide it . . . " Hinata looked up at the sky again; I can see her eyes were starting to water again.

And then the unexpected happened.

Two-and-a-half years ago I would have been embarrassed; now it was killing me. I've been avoiding her for more than a week and here she is being so close.

She hugged me. What's more she was crying onto my shoulders.

Three years ago I would've pushed her away; now I'm hugging her back.

Well, you can _call_ it a hug, but in truth I awkwardly just lay my hands on her back and started patting it.

"Father--set an--arranged marriage--for me," she sobbed into my jacket. "I don't think I'm ready." She whispered that one.

I didn't know what to say. I was as stunned as she was sad about it. So for a while we just sat on that log, hugging each other until the moon came crawling up. I couldn't think and I didn't want to. It would ruin the moment.

It was Hinata, again, who broke the silence. "I don't want to marry yet," she whispered. "I'm still not sure about my feelings for--" She forced herself to stop. I noticed that. Slowly, she pushed herself away from me, far enough to gaze up into my eyes again. I could tell she was searching my face. I could tell she was thinking hard about something. Then the edges of her lips curled up. "Okay, I've decided."

Hinata pushed herself completely off. "Thank you for, um, helping me, Naruto."

"No problem," I replied dazedly.

"I hope you're okay, too. You seemed kind of sick when we saw each other again." Hinata give a short chuckle. "Your face was red, you were sweating, and you fainted--all symptoms of a sick person. I learned that from you."

It took me a while to figure out what she was talking about, but then I got it. Too bad by that time Hinata had already left. I think I heard something about making dinner.

Dinner. Dinner under the moonlight. That would make a nice date. But I'm already too late. Hinata has a wedding to plan.

I groaned. I messed up again!

* * *

**I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed.  
There were some parts I thought were good . . .  
And then other parts I felt were missing something.  
Tell me what I did wrong . . .  
By reviewing!**


	7. New in the Village

**Oops! Sorry I didn't update.  
I am way too busy this month!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

* * *

Chapter 7: New in the Village

I woke up feeling sore that morning. I don't even remember what happened after my talk with Hinata.

I did my daily routine and then headed over to Ichiraku's for breakfast. I've been going there a lot lately. Well, more than I usually would. Yesterday, I ate ramen before going to the Hyuga Compound, and then I ate some more after. And now I'm going there again.

Well I didn't care. I wasn't in the mood to think about these things, which was odd for me.

I entered the shop; there was someone already there. He looked like my age. I sat next to him, part of me not caring and the other being curious. I've never seen him in the village before.

"Hello, Naruto!" I was greeted cheerily by old man Teuchi. "What would you like this morning?"

"Miso, please," I replied with a slight tired tone.

"Coming right up!"

After Teuchi left I watched the new guy. He was reading a book.

He had normal features: a nose, mouth, and ears. His hair was like Neji's except his tied-near-the-bottom hair only reached to the bottom of his shoulder blades. He had on a calm look; his light brown eyes were moving slightly as he read the words on the book. I guess he can feel my stare because his eyes lifted up and then he turned to me.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a tone sort of in the middle of curiosity and innocence. His voice was one every girl would swoon over, and every guy would envy. **(A/N: I don't know what that voice would sound like. It depends on the person.)**

When he looked at me I briefly looked at his headband: four wavy lines that had two on top and two on the bottom.

He's from the Mist Village, then. "Sorry," I apologized. "It's just that, I've never seen you before."

He stayed silent for a while, probably looking me over. Then he smiled. "I'm Taiki Shimizu. What's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," I proudly replied.

"Nice to meet you." At that time his ramen came. As it was put on the counter he smelled the fumes. "Ah, I love miso."

"You like miso ramen, too?" I questioned.

"Sure. I like all ramen! Ramen is the best food out there!"

My eyes gleamed, forgetting that I was ever tired that morning. "Ramen is my favorite food, too!"

"Really? Cool!" He ate some of his ramen for a few more minutes until mine came. By that time I had another question.

"Hey, Taiki, what's your dream for the future?"

Taiki stopped for a while. He straightened up, his eyes sparkling. "It might sound crazy, but I want to be Mizukage one day! Even if my father has other plans."

I almost dropped my chopsticks and the noodles held in my mouth. "Really? I want to be Hokage one day!"

"Really? So we have the same favorite food and dreams," he mused, and then, quite suddenly, "Are you part of a well-known and respected family?"

"Huh?" I was confused at the question.

"Never mind." He went back to eating his ramen.

* * *

Taiki finished before me and quickly left. He said he had a meeting with someone. I continued my breakfast alone.

I don't know what to do after this. I really have nothing planned. I could go visit Kakashi-sensei again, but I wasn't in the mood. I can train, but I didn't feel like it. Today was boring. Or at least, this morning.

After breakfast, as I was walking home, I had a thought. I can visit Hinata. But I quickly pushed that thought away. She might not want to see me. I've finally grown a little more comfortable around her ever since she hugged me, and I still can't summon the courage to see her. Besides, I told myself, she probably has wedding plans to take care of.

A sudden wave of depression thundered over me when I thought about Hinata's arranged marriage. That was probably why she and Hanabi were needed in Hiashi's room. But why Hinata? I mean, Hanabi's the one going to be the heiress, right? Was it because she's old enough? What would her marriage mean?

I bumped into Sakura. "Oh, sorry!" I helped her pick up the dropped papers I knocked off from her arms.

"No, it's okay." We were almost done with the papers. "Something wrong, Naruto? Your eyes aren't in their usual mischievous shine," she teased.

"Uh . . . um . . . " I didn't know if I should tell Sakura or not about this new problem. Ever since Hinata came, I've been getting a lot more problems, and they're harder to solve!

"Uh, um, what?"

"Well, have you heard about Hinata?"

"Yes, I've heard of Hinata. She was one of our classmates during the Academy, remember?" she continued to tease me, a smile playing on her lips.

"No! I mean, have you heard about her . . . . . . . marriage?" I whispered the last word.

"Marriage?" Sakura repeated in a low tone. "As in . . . she's going to get married?"

I nodded slowly.

Her mouth slowly opened and her eyes were set in disbelief. And then she unexpectedly squealed.

"EEEEEEEE!! She is?!! Oh my gosh, we need to congratulate her! C'mon!" Sakura grabbed my wrist, and faster than the speed of light we arrived at the Hyuga Compound.

Just when I decide to not go see Hinata, some person or event of fate brings me to her.

* * *

We waited for someone to open the door after we knocked. I was waiting patiently (and hoping that no one comes) while Sakura was practically bouncing on the spot. If she was like this about something like Hinata's marriage, I wonder how Ino would react?

At last, we heard footsteps. Darn it!

The paper door opened slightly and someone peeked out. I think it's one of the servants. "May I help you?" she asked.

"We're here to see Hinata," Sakura said. We?

"Lady Hinata? Let me go see if she's not busy right now." The woman shuffled away, leaving the door still slightly open.

While we waited outside, Sakura grabbed my arm excitedly. "I can't believe it!" she whispered in restrained delight. "Hinata's really going to get married?! But wait, at her age?"

I couldn't answer that question (phew!) because the servant came back.

"Lady Hinata is available. She will meet you at the courtyard. Follow me, please."

Sakura and I took off our shoes and did as we were told. The halls looked exactly as yesterday, but I didn't expect it to change. I was merely observing.

Just like what the servant said, Hinata greeted us at the big open space where I saw Hiashi and Neji train. I let Sakura do all the talking, which I found was a mistake.

"Hi Hinata! I heard you were getting married!"

"Shh! Not too loud. I don't want everyone to know."

"Naruto told me, though."

"I . . . I already told him."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"Sorry." I realized Hinata didn't have much of her stutter anymore. Was I really the cause of why I always thought she had a talking problem?

"So who's the lucky guy?" Sakura asked.

"My father says he's from a famous and well-respected clan, called the Shimizu Clan."

I perked up my ears at the name. It sounded very familiar.

"Okay, so what's the first name?" an impatient Sakura kept going.

"Taiki. Taiki Shimizu."

Forget the pan; just kill me now.

And as if he heard his name, he walked right up behind Hinata.

Both our eyes were fixed on the other, except mine had a more "It's gonna fall out if you open it any farther" set.

* * *

**I'm making these chapter really short, don't you think so?  
I'm trying to make them longer, but I don't have much to say.  
Wish me luck on the next chapter.  
Please review!**


	8. I can't think of a title

**Don't read this note.  
It will tell you nothing.  
I mean it!  
Don't read anything beyond this line except the disclaimer.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto  
Don't read this one either.**

* * *

Chapter 8: **I can't think of a title**

Him. Why does it have to be him? Why does he need to be my chosen rival of fate? Besides Sasuke.

Except this rivalry wasn't about difference in strength. It was a rivalry of (should I dare say it?) love. Oh wait, I hated Sasuke, too, because Sakura liked him.

So is this the same type of rivalry?

It seemed he wasn't thinking about the same thoughts. "Hi Naruto! What a sursprise meeting you here!" He had a wide grin on his face. I purposely mistook it for a smirk.

"Yeah, a surprise," I grumbled.

His grin shrinked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." This time, I faked a cheerful face.

"You know each other?" Sakura interrupted.

"Yeah," Taiki answered for me. "We met at Ichiraku's."

"Nice." I guess Sakura had nothing else to say.

**(Since dashes don't work anymore this comment will serve as my "a little bit later . . .")**

While the girls chatted away--something about dresses and cakes and invitations--us guys hung out in the shadows. I was leaning against a wall, arms crossed on my chest, watching them (mostly Hinata) with a slightly pouty face.

"Are you mad at me for some reason?" Taiki asked. He was standing in about the same pose as me, also watching the females.

"Mmm," I answered, not in the mood to make words.

Silence filled the next few minutes.

"Do you like Hinata?"

Are my new feelings that obvious? Instead, I settled with the more safe answer: "What?"

"I think I figured out why you're mad at me," he continued.

"I didn't say I--"

"You don't want me to marry her because you like her. Well, you can have her."

"Look, I said I didn't--! What did you say?" My eyes were bugging out and at first I couldn't register what he had just said. I was too tired to do, or think of, anything.

"You can keep her," Taiki repeated. "I mean, it's not like I don't like her. She's awesome--nice, sweet, kind, caring, listens well. But I'm looking for a different girl. She's not my type. Too quiet."

It took me a while to respond. But I just nodded. "How are you so sure I like her?" I challenged. I didn't want to admit it, even if he was right.

He looked at me, an eyebrow cocked. "You kept staring at her."

I blushed, but I didn't let him see that by looking away. Too bad he has sharp eyes. "I knew it." He chuckled.

Another silence hung in the air like a mist.

"Taiki!"

Both of us looked toward the direction of the voice. In the doorway of one of the rooms, there stood a tall man also with a low ponytail. He was wearing long robes, his hands tucked inside the oppossite sleeves.

"Come here!"

"Coming, Father!" Taikie bid me farewell and he hurriedly walked to the tall man.

* * *

"Naruto, time for us to go!" Sakura called from across the Hyuga courtyard. I gave her one quick nod to show her I heard. I was still in the same pose; I don't know how I managed to stay like that for an hour, but I did.

The servant from earlier, and Hinata, led us back to the door. The whole time I was in a passive mood. I even just mumbled a "Bye" to Hinata. As Sakura and I parted, I resumed thinking about my thoughts.

During the hour Sakura and I were there, I was arguing with myself whether Taiki and I would become rivals or not. He was the arranged fiancee for Hinata, but he said he doesn't want her.

What to do, what to do?

"Naruto!"

I looked for the familiar cheery voice, found myself in front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop again. Ino was inside, waving me in.

"Hey," I greeted, the bells on the door jingling when I opened it.

"So did you tell her yet?" she asked. I knew what she meant, but I pretended not to.

"Tell who what?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Hinata!"

"Oh. No, not yet," I replied curtly.

"Well, you should soon. I heard she doesn't even have a crush on you anymore! She might be seeing someone else!" She was teasing me--I knew she was--but I found myself slumping down and sighing.

She laughed and changed the subject to a more comfortable topic. Chatting with her got my mind off of my insignificant (compared to my real problems) troubles.

* * *

_I've decided_.

That night, as I was preparing my instant ramen, those words came back to me. I was waiting for my ramen to cook when I remembered myself and Hinata back in the woods, having that conversation again.

She was looking at my face when she said that. _Okay, I've decided_. What did that mean? She's decided what?

I thought of the words she said before that. _I'm still not sure . . ._ She was saying something after that. What was it? Oh yeah,_ . . . about my feelings for . . ._

What was after that? I can't remember; it irritated me. Maybe after "for" I can figure out what she had "decided." I was still cluless, though, even after my dinner and dream. **(I'm not going into his dream. I'm just showing that he's alseep.)**

* * *

"But I told you, I don't like her."

"Taiki, you have to marry her."

"She's not into me, either."

"Taiki, you have to marry her," he repeated.

"Why, Father?" Taiki questioned.

"You know very well why."

"I don't see the point."

The head of the Shimizu Clan sighed. "My son, if you marry the daughter of the Hyuga Clan, we will once again be famous. The Hyuga Clan of Konoha is very well-known and respected."

"No point," Taiki muttered. "Just because you messed up, doesn't mean you get to use me to clear everything."

"Now you listen, young man--"

"No, Father, _you_ listen. I won't marry her and that's final! Besides, she likes somebody else."

"How do you know?"

"She told me herself. I figured she didn't like me that much and I asked her who she really liked."

"And who is this--this _person_ she _likes_?" The man said "likes" as if it was poisonous.

"The guy who came over here earlier."

"You mean that idiot-looking boy with the bright clothes that will not let him camouflage even if he tried?"

"Yes."

"He has whiskers on his face as if he's some pretend Indian in kindergarten!"

"Father!"

"It's true!"

Taiki let out an exasperated sigh. "Let's discuss this tomorrow. We should get some sleep."

"Right; tomorrow we have wedding plans to take care of!"

"Father!"

* * *

**My mind is dead.  
I can't think.  
My note at the top was just for my amusement.  
I couldn't even think of a title for the chapter!  
So anyway, the conversation above was during the night.  
I'm too dead to think of what happened before that.  
Please review.**


	9. Under the Stars

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while.  
I had to find inspiration.  
I was too busy last week...  
And I was WAY too busy this week.  
Disclaimer: If I did own Naruto (which I don't) . . . the storyline would probably suck . . . '-_-**

* * *

Chapter 9: Under the Stars

Weeks had gone by-months, actually.

Okay, five days, but to me it felt like five months.

During those five days, nothing unusual happened. I trained, ate ramen, trained some more, visited Kakashi-sensei (who recently got out of the hospital), and slept. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

After a week, I met Taiki again. I went to my training area (ah, the memories of when I was tied to that stump) and I saw him sitting on top of one of the three dummies. He had a solemn look.

"Hey," I greeted. His head snapped up.

"Oh, hi. What are you doing here?"

"I train here."

"Oh, sorry." Taiki slid down the dummy and landed expertly on his feet. "I'll leave you alone."

"No wait!" I called. I don't know why I sounded desperate; maybe because I was. "Um, why are you here?"

Taiki turned around and placed a small smile. I don't know if that was forced. I was never really good at telling if it was or not. "I was just touring your village when I came upon this place. It was nice and quiet, so I decided to stay here and think."

I chuckled. "It's not that quiet once ninjas come and train."

"I know. So I'll, uh, leave you alone now."

I watched him leave, wondering about what he was thinking about.

* * *

I came back to the training ground when the moon was out and the stars were shining. Taiki was right - the place was nice and quiet with no one around. It did allow someone to think peacefully. I sighed and leaned on the same post I was tied to, remembering about that day. I chuckled when I remembered Kakashi-sensei appear in front of us after my teammates fed me. I swear he can do a mean angry face - can even make dark clouds swirl around in the sky.

"Mind if I join you?"

I jumped in my spot. I looked up and saw a pale face with a tiny blush. Her long hair hung down her head as she was leaning forward, hands on knees.

"Uh, sure," I replied nervously. I hadn't seen Hinata since I visited her place. I scooted to make room for her so she can lean on the post too.

"So," I started to say. "What brings you here?"

"I was hoping . . . to do some night training, but, since you're here . . . " she answered. Something, I don't know what, but just something in the way she said that told me that wasn't true.

We sat for a moment, gazing up at the stars. I needed to start a conversation or I would fall asleep. "So, how's your wedding going?" I didn't want to bring that up - I never wanted to think about it, but I was still curious.

"Um, fine," she said curtly. I nodded; it seemed she didn't want to talk about it either.

Another awkward silence passed for the next . . . hour? I could feel my eyelids growing heavier, and my head couldn't be held up anymore. I was just nodding off to sleep when Hinata said something.

"Naruto?" she whispered. I forced myself to wake up, which didn't take much because suddenly her hand was touching mine. It wasn't major; her pinky was just next to my pinky, that's all. She was hugging her legs in the beginning, but now she let her hands go to her side. Meanwhile I had one leg up and the other lying out. My left arm rested on top of my left leg (which was the one that was up) while the other was on my side.

"Yeah?" I whispered back.

Then, a little louder, "H-how . . . how do you feel about . . . me . . . g-getting married?"

I wasn't expecting something like that. "You getting . . . ? Oh, um, w-well . . . I . . . I . . . um, I think . . . I'm, uh, h-happy, I-I guess . . . f-for you." I cleared my throat, as if there was something in there that made me stutter like that.

"Oh, you're not, like . . . never mind. I don't think you're that kind of person." Hinata looked away, which made me feel guilty all of a sudden.

I quickly tried to fix what I said. "I mean! I-if, you know, you don't like getting married - I m-mean there's lots of guys out there. You're so pretty Hinata they're probably knocking down your door or something - " I shut my mouth. Whoops. I hope Hinata didn't hear all of my gibberish.

She was looking at me again. "You . . . you think I'm pretty?"

Crap. "Ah, n-no! I-I mean, yeah. Yes. Of course you're pretty, Hinata, because if you're not then you wouldn't be getting married, right?" Crap times 10! What the heck did I just say?

Hinata frowned. "What?"

"Gah! I mean if-if you, um, if you weren't pretty, then-then, um, I wouldn't be here sitting with you. I mean - gah!" Ugh, my neck and shoulders are probably drenched with my sweat!

Unexpectedly, Hinata giggled. "You can stop, Naruto. I was just asking for a 'Yes' or 'No.' Which one is it?"

I hesitated for a minute. I stared at her face, remembering that two-and-a-half years ago, with our faces as close as this she would have turned red and passed out. Maybe even bash me on the forehead.

"Yes, I do think you're pretty," I finally answered.

She nodded, before returning to the position she was in when she came.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open. Bright light flooded into my iris. I shut them. I let my face snuggle into my pillow.

Wait, my pillow smells of lavender, and feels smooth and silky. I opened my eyes and saw darkness, which only made me close them again. Mmm, my pillow smells good. I hugged it tighter.

I was hugging something? I could feel cloth, and it felt soft, but I know my pillow isn't as long as I was imagining it. Oh well; it smells great and it feels good. I'll allow it this time.

My pillow stirred. After it processed through my sleeping brain, my eyes bulged; I scrambled up.

Shoot, my pillow was Hinata!

I sat there, frozen. I looked around and saw that we were still in the forest. We must have fallen asleep. I tried to remember what happened last night after our conversation, but I only saw myself babbling like an idiot.

I sighed. Unfortunately, that woke Hinata up. I froze again.

Hinata sat up, her back to me. I could see her head turn as she looked at her surroundings. She didn't look behind her yet.

However, sensing my presence (and my ultra loud drumming heart), she stiffened. She turned around and saw me. "Oh, Naruto. Good morning." I didn't expect that.

"'Morning," I greeted.

"I guess we slept in the training area."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"I should get going." Hinata stood up. I had the urge to grab her wrist so she can stay with me longer, but I held back. I only watched her lavender jacket grow smaller, and then disappear into a blend of green.

* * *

"Lady Hinata!" A guard ran up to Hinata when she was close to the compound. "We've been looking for you!"

"It's all right, Ko," Hinata assured. "I was doing some late night training and fell asleep there."

"Oh, thank goodness. By the way, Taiki wants to see you."

"Yes, I would like to see him too."

The two bowed heads with each other and then Hinata strode off.

-L-A-T-E-R-

"So how'd it go?" Taiki asked. He was leaning on a wall flipping a coin over and over. It had become a habit of his; it was his way of passing the time.

"Good. Thank you for bringing Naruto."

"No problem; if it's to get you guys together and get my dad to leave me alone, I'll do anything."

"Your family jutsu is very unique and helpful. It's almost like Ino's."

"Yamanaka Clan? Yeah, we're similar."

There was a silence to which the only sound was the _ping_of the coin being flipped.

"So did you kiss?"

Hinata was taken by surprise. "What?"

"Did you kiss?" Taiki repeated, keeping his eyes on his coin.

"Um, no." Hinata blushed and averted her eyes to the wooden floor.

Taiki caught his coin. He shook his head, but he was smiling. "That was the whole point, Hinata. Why do you think I made him go to the training area at night? The night can be both scary and romantic."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. But I did find out something else."

"What?" Taiki was back to flipping his coin, trying hard not to look interested.

Hinata smiled softly, remembering last night. Quietly, almost a whisper, she said, "Naruto thinks I'm pretty."

* * *

**I left you stranded for more than two weeks, and this is how I repay you?  
Yeah, sorry. Still busy.  
Please review!**


	10. Hyugas are Unpredictable

**Might be a little late but . . .  
OMG! Naruto Shippuden ep 166!  
I thought it would never come!  
I LOVED IT! It was awesome! XD  
And I finally saw Hinata's mother!****  
Disclaimer: I will never own Naruto.  
Hey, when it comes to things like that, it's never too late ;)  
**

* * *

Chapter 10: Hyugas are Unpredictable

I stretched as I got off my bed. After Hinata left, I went back to my house to get a real nap. It was now around 3:00pm.

Ugh, afternoons. I felt lazy today when usually I don't. I found myself thinking back to last night. When I was home making ramen, I had the sudden urge to go to the trainig area. Interesting. I guess you can call it instinct. Well, thank you, Instinct! Even though last night was embarrassing, I felt like Hinata and I bonded that night! I hope she feels the same way. I wonder if she'll be there again tonight.

. . . I wouldn't count on it.

* * *

"You'll talk to your dad?" Hinata asked.

"Yes. I hope this plan works. If it doesn't . . . well, say hello to your future husband," Taiki answered, smiling.

Hinata smiled, too. "Very well. I'll go get Naruto." The two nodded and then hurried away.

* * *

Someone tapped my shoulder. I was sitting at Ichiraku's happily slurping my favorite ramen when someone tapped my shoulder.

I turned around to meet the eyes of a Hyuga. "Hello, Naruto."

I gulped the ramen still in my mouth. "Hey, Neji. What's up?" Behind, I took my bowl and brought it in front of me so I could continue eating.

Standing still, arms folded, Neji glared at me for a while. I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable under the gaze. Beads of sweat started forming on my temples. What did I do this time?

Suddenly, horrifyingly, he started laughing. That can't be right. Neji? Laughing? Those are two things I would _never_ put together, because them together is impossible! And now he's doing it right in front of me! It was scary!

He continued laughing; after a few seconds Neji disappeared in an explosion of smoke. After the smoke cleared, another Hyuga took his place, still laughing.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I couldn't help it!"

I sat there, mouth gaping and eyes as wide is it can get. Hyugas are so unpredictable! First Neji was laughing and now Hinata pranked me! Hinata? Pranking? There's no way!

And then I calmed down, because now I was listening to Hinata's laugh. Of course I've heard her laugh before, but that's when we were young and just friends. Now I'm listening to it with my new feelings. It sounded beautiful. She just made me fall in love even more.

I started laughing with her. At first it was just a chuckle, but she looked so happy, I couldn't hold back. Too bad it didn't last long. A couple of seconds after I laughed she slowed down, wiping tears from her eyes. I started eating my ramen again.

"So how's it goin', Hinata?" I asked.

"Well, I have good news and b-"

"Bad news? Yeah, I want to hear the good news first."

Hinata smiled. "I was going to say 'better news.'"

My ears stood straighter. "Huh? And it has someting to do with me?"

She nodded. "Now, you wanted the good news first?"

* * *

Taiki took a deep breath before entering.

"Taiki." His father sounded mildly suprised.

"Father." His father was in his room, sipping tea. He sat across from him.

The head of the Shimizu sipped his tea again. "Do you need anything?"

"Are you still going through with the wedding?" Taiki had to hurry to get his father convinced to cancel the engagement. The plan was for Taiki to persuade his dad to turn off the wedding. Meanwhile, Hinata would tell Naruto of the plan and get him to come so all three of them can convince Hiashi to cancel. He told her to take her time since he might need some time to cool down his father, but he still had to hurry, since, knowing Naruto (from Hinata), he might just burst at the words "wedding cancelled" and run straight to here. He didn't want any disturbance; he wanted to speak with his dad alone.

His father took another long sip of tea, eyes closed. "No."

"Listen, Dad, I know it's been tough and all with the people of the Mist but seriously you have got to stop paring Hinata and me together because-wait, what? What did you just say?"

"No. We are not going through with the wedding."

Taiki was in disbelief. He couldn't believe that it would be that easy to tell his father the deal was off. "Uh, seriously?" he asked.

"Mm-hm. Hiashi and I talked it over and we believe that our children shouldn't have to go through this."

"Uh, wha- . . . really?" Taiki was shaking his head and staring at his father. Is this really his father? "And you already talked to Lord Hiashi about this?"

His father nodded.

"I . . . can't believe it," Taiki mumbled.

"Looks like your plan didn't go as planned."

In his dazed state, it took a while for Taiki to comprehend. "What? How did you know?"

The head chuckled. "My son, we are the _Shimizu_. We are masters of the mind, just like the Yamanaka of the Leaf. Once you have mastered the jutsu, you, too, will learn how to read minds." He chuckled. "And Hinata's little sister told us that you two were up to something. If you were really determined to cancel the wedding all that much, then I guess we didn't have a choice."

"Really?"

"Yes. And you were also right about that Naruto. He's at the door right now."

* * *

_Impossible! Unbelievable! Unimaginable! This can't be happening!_

Those were the thoughts of a man who had just heard that his crush's wedding was now cancelled. With that gone, a new window of opportunity has opened, letting the light of hope shine down from its gates.

Those were my thoughts as I rapped on the door of the Hyuga Compound. Even though the day was turning into a cool evening, I felt as hot as a tea kettle!

"Naruto, you'll break my door if you keep doing that," Hinata said. She put her hands on my shoulders in an attempt to slow me down. It worked. Just her touch would calm me down.

I turned to her, breathing hard. "Sorry, but you got me excited."

"I'm sorry," she giggled. I grinned, too.

That was when the door opened. A man stood at the threshold.

"Good evening, Ko," Hinata greeted.

"Good evening, Lady Hinata. Good evening, Naruto." He bowed his head slightly to each of us.

"I need to speak with Father, please."

"Certainly. I'll go get him. In the meantime, you two should come in."

We followed him inside and then Hinata and I went to the Hyuga courtyard. They have a training area right in the middle of their home! We waited in uncofortable silence.

A door to our right slid open. Taiki dashed out with a huge grin. "Naruto! Hinata! I have great news! We don't need to convince Hiashi to cancel the wedding!"

"Are you crazy?" I snapped. I couldn't help it; I was told that the three of us wereto convince Hiashi to stop the wedding and here he was shouting that we didn't need to do that! That was, like, the most important part of the plan, though! "Look, Taiki, I like Hinata, too! You can't keep her all to yourself! Get your own girl! If you don't want to do this Hinata and I will just do it ourselves! Don't stop us, you got that?" Yeah, that felt so good! I was right in his face. My face was probably red from both the run and my anger.

"I didn't mean it like that. I was going to say that we don't need any persuasion because both fathers have already agreed to stop the wedding." Taiki sounded hurt.

There goes that good feeling.

Just then, I saw Taiki's dad come out of the same room that Taiki exited. To the left of that was a hall, where Hiashi and the man at the door appeared. "What's going on?" he asked.

Unable to contain myself, I sprinted to the head Hyuga. "Is it true the wedding's off?" I blurted.

Hiashi was surprised at me suddenly appearing in front of him. Then he smiled. "You're just like you're father: fast."

I reeled back, embarrassed. I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry about that." Hiashi chuckled.

"It's alright. And yes, Hinata and Taiki will not be married."

I lit up. Was he serious? This isn't a joke? I felt the joy fill up my whole body, even my brain. Now that my brain was controlled by uncontrollable happiness, I just had to do it!

I HUGGED HIASHI! Yes! I hugged him! He just saved my heart from its downfall to its greatest depression!

"Hahahahahahaha!" I laughed and laughed. I bounced him up and down! Finally letting go of him, I raced to Hinata and Taiki.

"Can you believe this?" I shouted.

"I couldn't at first!" Taiki said, also laughing. We all laughed, not believing our luck. We laughed until the sun was completely below the horizon.

* * *

Taiki, Hinata, and I sat at the trunk of the tree in Hinata's courtyard. We were gazing at the stars. I had my arm around Hinata's shoulders, remembering "good news and better news."

_"Now, you wanted the good news first? Well, the good news is that I like you too, Naruto."_

_"Too?"_

_"I already figured out that you like me."_

_"Oh . . . "_

_"And the better news is that Taiki and I have a plan on how to cancel my arranged marriage."_

_"What?"_

I remembered how I shifted in my seat practically after every word Hinata said. As soon as she said "cancel arranged marriage" I wanted to go straight to the Hyuga Compound to confirm this. I had to sit through torturous minutes listening to the plan! But that's not how I work: make a plan. No, I just do.

I sighed.

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

"Nothing," I replied, and Hinata resumed snuggling to my chest.

Let's see: the night was clear; there was a soft breeze gently blowing; and I have my crush tucked with me under the shade of a tree. I think it was time.

"Hinata," I said. She looked up at me. With my other hand, I lifted her chin . . . and I leaned towards her. This was the moment I've been dreaming up with Sakura, yet I'm doing it with the girl I least expected to end up as my girlfriend.

Suddenly, my girlfriend exploded in smoke. There, where Hinata used to be sitting, was Taiki, holding his neck and gagging.

"Aw, Naruto, that was sick!" he cried. Well here's some news, Taiki: Same here!

Behind me, another puff of smoke exploded. When I turned around to face where Taiki (or where I thought Taiki) was sitting, there was Hinata, laughing again.

Hyugas are so unpredictable!

Taiki spoke again. "We thought it would be funny if you thought I was your girlfriend, but I had no idea you were gonna kiss me! Disgusting!"

Of course, I gagged, too. I mean, come on! Again with kissing a guy? Does this world hate me?

That night ended with me and Taiki continuing to bicker about the prank, and Hinata listening to our every word.

But yeah, that's how I got my kiss.

* * *

**I make it sound as if this story is done!  
Well . . . Maybe in the next chapter or so . . .  
Man, I rushed through this chapter as if my deadline was in an hour!  
Oh well, I was never really good at slowing down anyway ;)  
Please review!  
I SAW HINATA'S MOM!  
Ever noticed Hinata looks like their mom and Hanabi looks like their dad?  
I probably wasn't the first one . . .**


	11. Three Weeks Later

**I wanted the last chapter to be really long.  
The way the story went I could have made this into a oneshot!  
Thank you for keeping up with this short story of mine!  
I hope to see you on another one!  
Last Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

* * *

Chapter 11: Three Weeks Later

The mission was exhausting!

Who does that Sai guy think he is? He's always insulting us and Sasuke! I ought to punch him where it hurts!

**(In case you're confused, Naruto just finished that mission about capturing a spy. I took out all the Danzo message, Orochimaru meeting, Four-tailed battle . . . basically the whole arc '-_-)**

As I pulled out my shoes, I breathed a sigh of relief. My feet had been killing me! In the end, Sai wasn't a bad dude after all. Just a little . . . creepy.

I massaged my foot some more before putting it back on. I stretched, yawned, rubbed my eyes, and then, after seeing the clock, leaned down on my bed, hands behind my head.

Taiki and his father had gone home the day before the start of my mission. His dad figured out that maybe having a son that was Mizukage was better than being head of a clan. Tch, boy was he right! I mean, why wouldn't you want your own child to become kage? It's every parent's dream! To become the greatest ninja, so everyone will stop looking down on you, is what everyone wishes for! Oh, whoops. That's _my_ dream and wish.

I looked at my clock again and saw that it had just been five minutes. I wasn't supposed to meet Hinata yet until after ten minutes. Maybe I should take a nap . . .

**(A little bit later . . .)**

I snapped my eyes open. I quickly grabbed my clock, and then paled. Shit, I'm twenty minutes late!

In a rush, I flew out my window and used chakra to dash from roof to roof. I hope Hinata will understand! We greeted each other when I returned to the village and we agreed to do our 'Welcome back' date after I do some resting. We made it a tradition that every time one of us returns from a mission, we'd go on a date after. I will say that I am the proud owner of that idea! In less than a minute, I stood at the flaps of the ramen shop. I could see Hinata sitting with someone. The person had a dark green cloak and a small pack on his back. That back could only mean . . .

"Shino, what are you doing here?" I asked, lifting the covers. Shino slowly turned his head in that creepy way of his; I suppressed a shudder.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said in an annoyingmonotone voice. "I'm dating Hinata."

I laughed. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. "Oh, no," I said, wiping my eyes. "I'm not falling for it again." I folded my arms and jerked my head sideways. "Now, get out of my seat."

It was then that Hinata turned around, a small yet cute smile on her lips. Those lips can make all your troubles go away, except this time, they just created a problem. "Actually, Naruto, Shino's right. You took so long to get here that I got sad and wondered where you were. Shino comforted me and I realize now that I like him more than you. Sorry, but I'm dumping you." **(Rejection! XD)**

I stared at her in disbelief. No. Way. This can't be happening. Hinata is _dumping _me? Wh-why would she do that? What have I done? I started sweating all over and my breathing grew rapid. I've never had an asthma attack before in my life, but I think I'm having one right now! _I can't breathe! _I thought to myself. Is this how I'm going to die? I've always been dumped or rejected by Sakura, and I've always felt depressed. This is even worse! I could see concern replace Hinata's smile. She suddenly looked really worried.

"N-Naruto, are you all right?" I wanted to answer her, but my throat felt dry. I wanted to shake my head, but I was completely frozen.

I don't know what was happening to me but my vision started to go blurry and my hearing was warped. The next words that came out of Hinata's mouth sounded muffled, like I was underwater. I only caught a few of them.

"Naruto, calm . . . ! Me and Shino were . . . about dating! Naruto, Naruto! You're faint - "

I didn't hear the rest of that because the next thing I knew her face flew down, I felt a cloth brush my face, and then I hit the ground, making me black out.

* * *

"Hyperventilated? What a drag."

"That is not like Naruto at all."

"I never knew Naruto could even faint."

"Tell me about it! He's always full of energy!"

I heard voices I recognized. None of them were Hinata's, though.

The first one was Shikamaru's, then Lee's, then Ino's, and finally Sakura.

"Lately, he's been passing out in front of Hinata a lot." Shino.

"Aww, he's that in love?" Ino.

"Ha! I heard he passed out 'cuz Hinata dumped him!" Kiba.

And then I heard laughing. I didn't see what was so funny. Shouldn't they be sad for me? I just got dumped!

Someone started stroking my hair. I could feel soft, thin fingers massaging my scalp, just the way I like it. Only one person knew how to do that, and this person shouldn't be doing it anymore.

I forced my eyes open. I was looking at a white ceiling with a single lamp hanging in the middle. I grabbed the wrist that was above my head in a none too friendly way. I couldn't help myself; I was angry.

My sudden movement surprised everyone. They all were staring at me. I found out I was lying on a bed - a hospital bed. At the foot were Lee and Shikamaru. At my right was Ino and my left was Kiba. Behind Kiba was another hospital bed where Tenten and Neji sat. Behind Ino was Shino, leaning on the wall. Next to Shino, sitting on a chair, was Hinata with a shocked look. Instantly, I ignored everyone in the room and focused my attention on my ex-girlfriend.

"What are you doing?" I snapped. I almost growled.

"Naruto! You're awake!" was her only reply.

I glared at her before letting go of her wrist. She rubbed it gently.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Tenten asked. "You sound angry."

I didn't answer her. I tried to sit up instead. I wave of pain shot through my head, especially in the back. I reached up to touch my temple. There was a cloth in my way. I felt all around my head an realized I had a bandage wrapped around my skull.

"Huh, what the heck - ?"

"If you're wondering about that," started my least favorite person in his monotone voice (that is _so _annoying!), "it's when you fainted. You fell so hard the back of your head started bleeding. Me and Hinata took you to the hospital right away."

"And good thing, too," added Sakura. "With that type of injury you would have either gotten a concussion or suffered amnesia."

I looked down at my bed sheets. "Having amnesia is better than remembering why I fainted in the first place," I muttered darkly.

Sakura and Ino gasped while everybody else frowned. "You didn't tell him yet, Hinata?" Ino asked, shaking her head. "No wonder he's grumpy."

"I tried to, but he was already - "

"I think Hinata will need some alone time with Naruto," Neji interrupted. Great. Alone time with the person who dumped you. What could be a worse way to heal a broken head?

Everyone filed out of my room except Hinata. As soon as the last one exited, Hinata sighed. As she talked, I didn't meet her eyes.

"Naruto, you do know we were only joking?" My eyes widened, but I still didn't look at her.

Hinata took another deep breath. "I was at Ichiraku's at our designated time, and Shino was already there, too. I wasn't surprised you were taking so long because I knew how tired you were, but I was getting worried. So Shino and I talked while I waited. In the middle of our conversation Shino decided we should play a joke on you. I didn't want to at first, but he said it would just be a harmless joke. Now I see that it wasn't."

Even if I wasn't looking, I could tell she was staring at my head while saying that. With another sigh, she continued. "I'm so sorry, Naruto. If I had known this would happen I would have never agreed."

"Why'd you agree in the first place?" I asked.

A minute passed by before Hinata answered. "Well, you know the saying that if you hang out with with a certain person a lot, some of their personality may rub on you?"

I gave a slight nod.

Hinata chuckled; I winced. I love her laugh so much, but she dumped me. I'm not supposed to love it anymore. Wait, didn't she say it was a joke? Was it really . . . ?

"Well, I guess I was always with you so much that your mischevious mind rubbed off on me."

I grinned. "Well I am the prank genius!"

Hinata giggled, which made me smile even more. Maybe they were kidding after all. But still . . .

My grin disappeared. "Hinata?"

"Yes?"

"Prove it."

After a few seconds, she said, "That you're the prank genius?"

"No, I mean, prove that the whole dumping me was just a joke."

She was thinking - I can sense that. However, it took her such a long time that I started to feel disappointment. She can't prove it, so I can't believe it.

Suddenly, Hinata grabbed my chin, forcing my face to look up into her eyes . . . only, they were closed. Before I could register what that meant she already pressed her soft lips gently on mine . . .

I sat there, stunned. I wanted to pull away, or shake my head, or _something, _but I couldn't. I wanted to be angry or disappointed, but again, I couldn't. Instead, I was incredibly happy!

Slowly, Hinata let go of my chin and placed both of her hands on my cheeks. It's only been three weeks since our first date, but when we first kissed, this is exactly what she did.

I let out the water works. Note that these were tears of happiness, not sadness. As they slid down, I could feel them pool between her thumb and index finger.

Hinata broke away to wipe the tears away. "Are you okay?" she asked in a soothing voice as she rubbed my back. Hinata is like the mother I never had, except of course, I wouldn't be kissing my mother like that. Ew.

I wiped the rest of the tears with the back of my hand. I finally looked at her. "Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Hinata smiled. "It's okay." Then, with a sigh, "I thought you would have figured out the prank after my voice cracked after saying 'I'm dumping you.' Do you know how hard it is to say that to the person who you _never _want to break up with?"

We both laughed. "I never heard your voice crack. You sounded so serious." I thought back to when Hinata said the cursed words. "But you know, I should have figured out anyway since you were smiling like that."

"Oh, no! You caught that? I tried my best not to do that!" We laughed again, feeling like our old selves. Well, not really _old _because if we were our old selves, Hinata would either be passed out, or she wouldn't be laughing but blushing furiously.

Maybe I should leave the village more often. It could really change someone.

"C'mon, Hinata," I said after we took a breath. "We still haven't had our 'Welcome back' date!" I winked at her.

* * *

Sakura wouldn't let me out of the hospital since I was still injured, but she was glad that Hinata and I were a "thing" again.

So without hesitation, Hinata helped me take off the bandage and change my clothes (without looking of course) in my hospital room, and then we both dashed out the window. It's great being a ninja!

When we reached Ichiraku Ramen, two other people were there. Hinata and I recognized the boy right away.

"Taiki!" we cried at the same time. The said shinobi turned around, his mouth full of noodles. When he saw us, his eyes widened and he swallowed his food.

"Hey, guys! How long has it been since we last saw each other?"

"About three weeks," I answered. The girl sitting next to Taiki had turned around, too.

Taiki studied us for a minute. "Well, well. What do we have here? Holding hands?"

I looked down and saw that he was right. Hinata and I were holding hands, and I didn't even notice it! I guess it just came unconsciously.

"What are you doing here, Taiki?" Hinata asked. We sat down next to our friend, Hinata next to him, and I next to her.

"Oh. I just couldn't stay away from Ichiraku ramen!" He flashed a bright grin that was strangely similar to mine.

The girl that sat on the other side of Taiki grabbed his arm. She blushed as she spoke. "Taiki, wh-who are these people?" Her voice was soft and kind. She had long, wavy brown hair that ran down her back. Her skin was light brown and her eyes were so dark they were almost black.

Taiki looked down at the girl. "Oh, these are just some friends of mine!" He looked back at us. "This is Naruto Uzumaki - " he pointed at me " - and this is Hinata Hyuga." He pointed at Hinata. "Naruto, Hinata, I'd like you to meet Kiara Towashi." The girl - Kiara - blushed some more as she waved a shy hand at us. That gesture was as familiar to me as my face.

"H-hello," she squeaked. Stuttering? Yep, that's definitely someone I know.

"Hello, Kiara, it's nice to meet you," Hinata said.

Just then, Old Man Teuchi came to take our orders. Taiki and I ordered the same thing while the girls ordered the special. Hinata went to sit with Kiara so they can talk, which left us guys alone.

"So, uh, who is she?" I asked.

Taiki blinked. "Didn't I already tell you?"

"No, I mean, why is she with you?"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you! She's my girlfriend!"

If there was anything in my mouth I was sure I would have spit it out. "Really? Since when?"

Taiki thought for a while. "I think a week ago."

"Well, congratulations!"

Behind Taiki, the girls laughed. Were they talking about something funny?

Suddenly, I remembered something. "Hey Taiki! I thought you said Hinata's type wasn't your type! Kiara is the same type that Hinata is!"

My long-haired friend looked at me with confusion. "What? No she's not."

"Yeah! I mean, she's stuttering, being shy, being quiet - that's exactly like Hinata!"

"No it's not. Hinata doesn't stutter, and she's not shy. She might be quieter than most girls, but still talks."

This time, it was my turn to be confused. Hinata's like that? Oh yeah, she's not like that wallflower anymore! When I spent time with her, I realized Hinata wasn't the same. She was more . . . cheery? Well, she doesn't blush all the time! Kiara is like the old Hinata, and Taiki only met the new Hinata.

Taiki continued his talk. "You want to know my type? I like the ones who are kind, gentle, and listens well."

"But that's what you described Hinata."

Ignoring me, he kept going: "Also, I like the ones who are shy and sort of quiet. It's weird but I find that a cute trait."

I gulped. "Oh, r-really now?" If he had known Hinata in an earlier stage he would have fallen in love with her already, and then I wouldn't have a chance anymore.

* * *

Our dinner/double date went great! We laughed and talked about ourselves. Taiki told us about his new relationship with his father and his studies in being mizukage.

When we finished, Taiki and Kiara left the Leaf. It seemed they really were just visiting, but that sounded weird since his village is, like, across the sea.

Hinata and I finally had some alone time! Well, alone time that wasn't all awkward. As we walked down a street, my arm around Hinata's shoulder, I remembered something. "Hey, Hinata. Remember when we were in the forest and you told me about your arranged marriage?"

"Mm-hm," she replied.

"What did you mean by 'I've decided'?" I know that was more than three weeks ago, but I hope she still remembered.

There was silence before Hinata answered. "Oh, when I still wasn't sure about my feelings for you."

That's it! That was after "for"! But she never finished that sentence, so was that what she would still have said?

"When I said that I've decided, I meant I've decided that I still like you." I glanced down at my girlfriend, who was blushing. The last time I had seen her blush was when we were kissing for the first time.

I should have known. She was searching my face like that.

I chuckled. "Well, I've decided that I liked you from the very beginning, Hinata." Strangely, that wasn't fully a lie. In all the times I was with her, she may have been weird but she always surprised me - from being stronger than usual to telling me that she loved me.

Hinata sighed. "Isn't it a beautiful night?" she asked, looking at the moon.

I looked down at her. "It sure is," I said, and I kissed the top of her head.

* * *

**The ending is so corny, I know, but it was all I could think of!  
The story is done! Can you believe that?  
I would have updated sooner, but unexpected things kept popping up!  
Well, I'm so glad you read this story!  
Thank you to all who reviewed! You were my fuel!  
I know there are people out there who read but didn't review, so I just want you to know . . .  
I enjoyed your support anyway! :D  
Review one last time, please!**


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